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During the live stream, Yan Man remained silent while the director, with restraint and flair, focused the camera on Ye Lin.
The barrage of comments was already in stitches, with gifts and likes flying everywhere.
[Cocoye: ?]
[Laughing so hard. Who wouldn’t want to know what Yan Ye’s “after” smells like?]
[Coconut scent! It’s coconut scent! I’ve answered for her—host, stop asking!]
[Look at my daughter’s red ears…]
[But it’s one of the rare moments we see Yan Man speechless.]
[Cocoye, how can you just sit there while your wife is like this?!]
After this comment appeared, Ye Lin finally moved, beginning to break the unique silence that came with the “after.”
He picked up several bottles of scents from the table, sniffing each one until he seemed to find a suitable one. He then handed the bottle to Yan Man.
Yan Man was now allergic to this topic, too embarrassed to smell it. After pushing it away a few times and glancing at him, the man finally returned the bottle to its original position.
The barrage had already filled in their eye contact:
[Ye Lin: Is it this one?]
[Man: Don’t ask me, don’t you know what you smell like?!]
[Thinking about those scenes from the movie coming true, so thrilling, guys (covering nose).]
[Wishing to see some hardcore Ye Lin action.]
[Never thought a man who looked so aloof at award ceremonies would actually leave his wife unable to get out of bed behind closed doors (not really).]
Seeing Ye Lin put the bottle down, Yan Man took a moment before turning to the host, pretending nothing happened as she smoothly segued: “Hmm, okay, let’s move on to the next question.”
[Oh?]
[Yan Man: As long as I look confident enough, no one will know I didn’t actually answer the question.]
[How can we move on to the next question! So you were just reminiscing about your intimate moments with Cocoye?]
[Laughing so hard I’m dying.]
After the chaotic barrage settled down, Yan Man finally ended the chaotic live stream.
As she stepped off stage, she couldn’t help but punch Ye Lin twice.
Caught by the man holding her wrist, he laughed: “I didn’t ask the question, why are you hitting me?”
[5555 so sweet]
[Just finished the spicy stuff and now they’re giving us pure romance. Love it, keep it coming.]
[Damn couple, sending everyone to the diabetes ER.]
Sure enough, that day’s “Yan Man’s Little Story: Shooting Herself in the Foot” also became a hot topic in the super topic discussion.
Among them—
[Thank you, Yan Man, for letting me know that Ye Lin isn’t the type to sleep with his wife without intimacy.]
Earned an impressive 270,000 likes.
Yan Man still had an evening schedule. After finishing, she returned to the car and scrolled through the super topic, discovering that everyone seemed to be discussing another topic.
She realized that after her own exposure, her profile page had garnered significant attention. Fans swarmed in, thoroughly investigating every single one of her posts.
And in her following list, only two... Yan Ye haters remained.
—When she initially posted videos, she followed five people. Three of them gradually turned into fans, leaving only these two in her home page. She hadn’t thought about them since.
Crap, she thought, won’t these two ordinary people be harassed by fans?
Yan Man quickly switched to the video app, entering their profiles intending to unfollow.
Before unfollowing, she deliberately checked their comment sections.
Fortunately, the fans were quite civilized—no cyberbullying, no ugly comments. These two haters were left with a peaceful corner, which was good.
Wait.
Realizing something, Yan Man sensed something was off. She exited one profile and returned to her following page.
“Gulugulu Strawberry Pie” and “Brother Won’t Blame Me” — the two steadfast Yan Ye haters’ avatars were aligned perfectly next to each other, clearly suggesting...
Couple avatars.
At this moment, Yan Man finally realized something was amiss.
She vaguely remembered the super topic earlier celebrating something.
Finally, opening “Brother Won’t Blame Me’s” homepage, he had posted an update three days ago.
[Official Announcement! The first day with Gulugulu Strawberry Pie. Reflecting on how we met because Yan Man followed both of us simultaneously, never thought we’d end up together. Thank you, Yan Ye, for the memory.]
The accompanying picture was of their hands intertwined.
Clicking into “Gulugulu Strawberry Pie’s” homepage, Yan Man had been focused on reading the comments and only now noticed the content of the latest update.
Strawberry Pie reposted the content from the recent live stream, and at the end of the ID string, a new suffix was added.
Gulugulu Strawberry Pie (Now Obsessed): [I’ll do a spiral flip Thomas rotation tiger landing and kowtow: Please, right now, immediately, right at this moment, consummate your relationship in front of me. Okay?]
Yan Man: “...”
Overwhelmed by shock, she clicked into the super topic, where celebrations were rampant.
[Yan Ye’s Real Matchmaker: Brought together two black fans?]
[No, they’re fans now. Strawberry Pie has even become a fan influencer (thumbs up).]
[Yan Man: After BE, we’ve reached the peak.]
[Broadcast Voice] She, the young, beautiful chatterbox; he, the cold yet alluring film legend; they share a common name: Yan Ye. Welcome to watch the ongoing drama series Yan Ye’s Path to the Top , airing every night at 8 PM, reversing black fans, top-tier trendsetters!]
[I’m laughing like crazy. Do you have any normal fans?]
[I love this script. Woman, find someone to read it to me (boss tone).]
Sitting in her seat, Yan Man was overwhelmed with complex emotions, unable to speak for a long time.
Simon saw her expression and leaned over to ask, “What’s wrong?”
It took Yan Man a while to sort out the logic: “Our last two resilient black fans across the web met because of my homepage and are now dating?”
After listening, Simon wasn’t surprised at all.
“What’s so surprising about that? Love is unpredictable.”
“...”
Simon handed over his phone: “Why don’t you check this trending topic? Maybe it’ll give you further insight into your couple ship.”
On the trending topics, Yan Ye’s first joint appearance selling out the brand’s warehouse had risen to the number one spot within just a few hours.
Only then did Yan Man realize: “The warehouse sold out?”
“Yes!” Simon said, “Within half an hour of the broadcast, all stock was gone. They urgently opened pre-orders, and after another half hour, the heat kept rising. Everyone was buying while shipping, and even the pre-orders exceeded expectations.”
“In the end, the brand felt their production line was about to collapse from orders. They feared complaints if they couldn’t deliver on time. The host didn’t dare add any new segments, and as soon as they finished, the Taobao store quickly changed links—I’m laughing my ass off.”
Yan Man: “Is it that exaggerated?”
Simon retorted: “Or did you think the live stream could end that quickly?”
She recalled her earlier collaboration with Ye Lin. Although it brought significant support to the brand, it wasn’t nearly as exaggerated.
Especially after the official announcement and the release of Floating Life, Old Years , adding reputation on top of popularity. She increasingly felt that the super topic was getting livelier. Even minor accounts often stumbled upon related content about the two.
Becoming this famous... seemed expected.
Worried about misjudging, Yan Man confirmed: “Does this count as very famous?”
“Not really,” Simon said, “This counts as explosively popular.”
“...”
That day, the super topic seemed to celebrate the New Year. The introduction was changed to a concise line:
After BE, our CP exploded.
In the midst of everyone’s obsession with the couple, time seemed to pass particularly quickly. In the blink of an eye, it was early May, time for the Golden Watch Awards ceremony.
Yan Man was coincidentally filming in Xiangcheng, where the awards ceremony was also held, so she extended her hotel stay by a day.
Although there weren’t any good scripts recently and she hadn’t taken on new roles, she had been making time for cameo appearances and guest roles in films and TV dramas, exploring more character possibilities and opening up a fascinating new world.
The awards ceremony was scheduled for 9 PM. She finished her schedule at 5 PM and planned to return to the hotel for a nap.
The door creaked open, and she was startled to see a figure by the bed.
At first, she was frightened, but before she could scream, she realized who it was. The pounding in her chest quickened, and she smiled as she moved closer.
Ye Lin spread his arms, and she knelt on the edge of the bed, crashing into his embrace.
She lowered her head, inhaling his familiar and refreshing scent, mixed with an exclusive sense of security that inexplicably relaxed her.
His long, strong fingers cradled her nape, gently caressing it. “Miss me?”
She muttered, “Do you even need to ask?”
“If you missed me, why didn’t you come find me?”
She lifted her head, eyes curved like crescent moons, playfully saying, “Aren’t you the one who always comes to find me?”
There was nothing she could do; he always had her figured out.
He lowered his head, pulling her waist towards him. She obligingly leaned forward, sharing his breath.
Their tongues intertwined; his tongue sucked on hers while her arms wrapped around his neck like vines. They were perfectly in sync when kissing. Ye Lin occasionally nibbled on her tongue, then licked her soft, jelly-like lower lip. She pushed her tongue deeper into his mouth.
The wet sounds made her cheeks flush, but the sensations brought pleasure. Yan Man couldn’t help but hum softly, emitting some ambiguous sounds.
When she was kissed comfortably, like a purring kitten, she couldn’t help but let out some faint moans.
Ye Lin held her nape, and she lightly wriggled her waist as the TV news continued to play. Her corset was undone and tossed aside, allowing him to have his way.
Afterward, the lingering taste of the kiss remained. Yan Man rested on his shoulder, her eyelashes misty, cheeks flushed, softly humming.
His hand emerged from under her shirt, and they started chatting casually: “You’ve been wearing high heels for so long. Are you tired?”
Dissatisfied, she scooted closer. “Rub it for me again.”
“...”
He tilted his head, biting her earlobe and tracing it with his warm tongue, while his other hand pinched her other earlobe. Her nasal tone grew thicker.
“You’ve warmed up my earlobes.”
“So easy to heat up?” He seemed to be laughing. “No matter where I rub, you say it’s hot.”
“...”
In the end, a dress got dirty, and she curled up in the blanket, feeling the afterglow fade, her breathing uneven. She pointed at the poor light-colored gown on the floor: “It’s all dirty...”
He caressed the corner of her lips, his voice hoarse and satisfied, murmuring, “I’ll compensate.”
“Compensate my ass.”
Before leaving, Yan Man deliberately paused for a few seconds at the room’s entrance, recalling the perfume live stream—the question that made her socially dead and unable to answer.
Sniffing, she thought she knew the answer now.
—But if asked again, she would still choose to remain silent.
At eight o’clock, the two got into the car and headed to the awards ceremony venue.
As they were about to enter, Yan Man rolled down the car window, seeing many fans and spectators standing on both sides of the road.
Curious, she wanted to ask who they were there for, but as soon as she poked her head out, she heard deafening cheers.
She turned back, confirming that Ye Lin hadn’t shown his face, and no one else was nearby.
Simon: “Stop looking. They’re calling for you. Can’t you see those big light boards?”
The voices outside gradually became rhythmic, one shout after another of Yan Man, all calling her name.
Simon: “No one knows Ye Lin is coming today, not even the organizers. There’s no leak. They’re all here for you!”
This seemed to be her first public appearance in a while. Realizing this, an indescribable sense of satisfaction spread through her, like mint-flavored popping candy exploding chaotically in her chest.
She leaned out to greet everyone, the cheers growing louder, flashes lighting up, and this time, all for her.
Simon was right; the organizers didn’t know Ye Lin was coming.
The person in charge, upon seeing him, was first surprised, then nodded understandingly upon seeing her beside him.
“Please wait a moment. I’ll adjust the seating.”
Finally, Yan Man sat in her seat, and he smoothly took his place beside her.
Throughout the award ceremony, her emotional state was excellent—
Although she very much wanted to win, hoping to see her abilities fully recognized by the mainstream, the honors she had received already exceeded her expectations. This time, whether she won or not, it was an affirmation of her.
Thinking this way, when she saw the brand-new trophy on the stage, she couldn’t help but admit—
She wanted it.
The organizers seemed to understand everyone’s psychological activities as the large screen slowly displayed the faces of four actresses side by side, showing real-time footage of the nominees.
Seeing the others, the host spoke before she did.
“Her performance style is natural and smooth, seamlessly integrating technique into her lines and movements, creating a strong resonance...
“She is the top-tier actress beloved by the masses, also known as Lu Yingying from City Traveler . Congratulations, Yan Man!”
...
At this moment, her heart felt like a bell being struck fiercely.
She blinked, feeling as if submerged in the ocean, adrift, reaching out only to grasp a piece of driftwood.
From the moment she heard that word, it seemed as though she couldn’t hear clearly anymore. It was as if every word passed through her ears but failed to reach her brain.
Her?
She turned her head, whispering to Ye Lin in disbelief, “Are they calling me?”
Ye Lin smiled, gripping her wrist as if transferring some kind of strength.
He affirmed, “It’s you.”
Previously, when she saw herself associated with the term “top-tier,” she mostly just glanced and moved on. After all, anyone could edit Weibo, and it lacked authoritative persuasiveness.
But in such a formal setting, hearing those words felt like an authoritative affirmation.
As she walked onto the stage, all spotlights focused on her. Boldly, she thought, just one leading role in a film away from perfection.
Soon, the trophy was handed to her.
Unexpectedly heavy.
Unprepared, her arm sank slightly, and she quickly raised it to her chest.
The weight of the trophy seemed to tell her that this was recognition and, to some extent, a mission.
Moving forward, she would bring more and better works to everyone.
Entering the industry was accidental, perhaps fated, but standing here now, she had never been more determined. Perhaps she was born to be an actress, and moving forward, she would strive to become a better one.
Standing in front of the microphone, she first smiled.
She had prepared a draft, thinking about what to say if she won.
But now, more words and feelings replaced them. She lowered her head toward the microphone.
“I’m very grateful to Lu Yingying for letting me win this award. Although she’s a ‘small character,’ in another sense, characters are not divided by size, roles have no hierarchy, and popularity doesn’t measure worth. All actors deserve respect, and everyone has their own significance.”
“I suddenly remembered one day when I was filming an early scene, waking up before dawn. To capture the state of catching a bus, I took a ride around the city to observe how people looked when they boarded.”
“Later, a girl sat across from me, talking on the phone, eating a bun, and crying, but she never stopped jotting down work notes. She didn’t realize it, but at that moment, light shone on her from behind. I thought she was amazing too.”
“On that morning, I realized that being a ‘small character’ merely describes insignificance. But in reality, everyone is small in the world, and everyone is striving against predetermined lives.”
“We can lose, but we will never surrender.”
She bowed deeply and said,
“—Everyone is the hero of their own story.”
She entered amidst applause and exited the same way.
If Ye Lin hadn’t wiped her eyes with his thumb, she wouldn’t have noticed her eyes were red.
In truth, she had endured many hardships unknown to others.
She had been injured by broken glass but endured silently until the scene was over; she had taken off her coat and plunged into freezing water at -10°C, emerging numb; she had overcome physical and mental fears, enduring all dangerous and grueling scenes; she had fallen off a horse; she had filmed struggling scenes until physically exhausted, discovering bruises on her shoulders and back the next day…
But these hardships, upon seeing the rich portrayal of characters, only made her feel it was worthwhile.
She weighed the trophy in her hand and whispered to him, “It’s so heavy.”
He extended his hand, “Shall I carry it for you?”
She shifted her hand to the side, as if hiding a treasure.
“No.”
He chuckled and took out his phone. “Then how about taking a picture?”
...
Soon, pictures of the two leaving the backstage were captured by photographers, and Yan Man’s quote, “Everyone is the hero of their own story,” also made it to the trending topics.
The fan homepage was filled with cheers.
[Good news!! AHHH Manman won Best Actress!!]
[So impressive! She’s the first actress in her cohort to win the Golden Watch Award. No one can say Yan Man doesn’t have representative works anymore.]
[Even without the award, aren’t City Traveler and Cherry Slush enough? Isn’t Floating Life, Old Years box office proof? You can’t deny that every single one of her works is a gem + classic just because she doesn’t film much!]
[I remember a few crazy people saying Yan Man would only get nominated and isn’t worthy of being shortlisted. Look, not only did she get shortlisted, but she actually won! Good thing I saved those comments; time to slap their faces, feels great, hehe.]
[Hey, wait a minute, why is Ye Lin there too? He didn’t attend, right?]
[Checked the list, and he indeed didn’t attend.]
Someone hit the nail on the head: [Do you guys understand anything? Is there any other reason for him to be there?!]
In the comment section, the “know-it-all bosses” appeared again:
[He went to pick up his wife after work :D]
After receiving the award that day, Yan Man realized that the significance of winning went far beyond the trophy itself.
It was a high level of recognition and brought her more opportunities.
More people in the mainstream circle began to recognize her.
The number of high-quality scripts offered to her nearly doubled, and luxury brand collaborations started reaching out too.
Even the next day, Simon found her and said, “Eh, Feng Wei’s team contacted me? They asked for your profile, saying Thousand Islands in the Evening Breeze is still selecting the female lead. They want us to provide some recently shot video footage, preferably bare-faced.”
“What do you think? Should we shoot it?”
“Of course!” she replied. “Wait for me to remove my makeup.”
Feng Wei’s project was something countless actresses were dying to join.
Simon grinned, “I think we’ve got a good chance. I casually probed earlier, and they said Director Feng favors you the most. He noticed you during your theater performances, then watched your official stage debut and thought your figure was great.”
“After waiting for Floating Life, Old Years to air, they evaluated your movie performance. Finally, while considering other actresses, boom—you won Best Actress. That’s when they couldn’t resist contacting us.”
Yan Man carefully removed her eye makeup while listening to Simon continue.
“How honorable! They’ve been waiting all this time, probably hoping for someone better while also waiting for us to submit our materials proactively. After all, almost half the actresses in the industry have privately contacted them.”
“I must say, this is what makes a true director—considering so much just to select an actress. It’s almost like writing my thesis.”
Yan Man couldn’t help but interrupt, “Did you put this much effort into writing your thesis?”
Simon (who barely scraped by on his thesis): “...”
Yan Man cleaned her face thoroughly to ensure her bare face was visible, even though Simon joked she was too honest—leaving a little makeup wouldn’t have been noticeable on camera.
After recording her personal introduction video, Yan Man headed to the next shooting location.
Today was her and Ye Lin’s variety show recording.
Ye Lin still hadn’t taken on new projects. During this time, he either filmed endorsements or accompanied her around. Even the media joked that to catch Ye Lin, one had to catch her first.
The public was still focused on the first project he chose after deciding to return from retirement, speculating what kind of stunning content it would be.
Yan Man was curious too and had asked him many times about it.
But most of the time, he simply said it was ordinary, nothing particularly exciting.
This variety show had approached him initially, and he refused. However, upon hearing she would be there, he agreed.
Thinking of this, Yan Man opened the car door and stepped out.
She had already applied light makeup and assumed Ye Lin, whose event ended earlier than hers, should have arrived first.
But looking around, she didn’t see any familiar figures.
Instead, the program director greeted her with a cameraman, handing her an earpiece.
“The live recording has already started, Teacher Yan. Please wear this earpiece and follow the instructions.”
Process? What process?
Half-believing, half-doubting, Yan Man wore the earpiece, soon distracted by other thoughts.
She vaguely wondered if winning an award really changed her status—now they were calling her “you” with respect.
Soon, she pushed open the door in front of her. The room was dimly lit, and if not for seeing Ye Lin standing nearby, she might have thought she entered the wrong place.
He was standing by the circuit breaker, holding repair tools.
Yan Man exclaimed, “Is this part of the show’s setup?”
As soon as she finished speaking, the light bulb above her buzzed twice, hinting at an imminent power outage.
Indescribable feelings stirred within her. On one hand, she wondered what the production team was thinking, but on the other hand, she thought it was thrilling. The show really knew how to create excitement.
She moved closer to take a look, but Ye Lin, worried about danger, gently pulled her back.
He whispered, “Tired? Want to rest on the chair first?”
The barrage smelled blood: [What tiredness? Why would she be tired? What did you guys do last night?!]
[Ye Lin’s brain cells, do they contain any healthy content?]
[Are you kidding me with this broken road?!]
Yan Man was about to say she wasn’t tired when suddenly, a voice came through the earpiece.
“Task One: Make Ye Lin’s heart rate reach 120 BPM without letting him know.”
She paused, wanting to speak but remembering the program’s rules against talking, forcing herself to stay silent.
The barrage loved drama: [Let’s see how you’ll make his heart race.]
[Take off your clothes! Yan Man! Take them off! Remember Scene 135 from Floating Life !]
[Hahahaha perfect callback! Money to the program team!]
Seeing her stand there for a long time, Ye Lin turned his head and asked, “What’s wrong?”
She shook her head, “Nothing.”
Unsure what he was repairing, maybe cutting the faulty wires? Yan Man thought casually as she watched him take out small pliers and fiddle with the circuits.
Clearing her throat softly, Yan Man devised a preliminary plan.
She whispered, “Baby?”
On the live screen, someone’s ECG began fluctuating wildly at this moment.
[Wow, wow, it’s starting! Hurry, Yan Man, push harder!]
Yan Man naturally couldn’t see this. Seeing him remain silent, she assumed he was immune. Licking her lips, she tried again softly, “Brother?”
[Yan Zong: So you never call me brother just to flirt with another man?!]
Yan Man couldn’t see his ECG fluctuate faster under the dim yellow light, visibility barely sufficient.
The earpiece remained silent.
Ye Lin placed the pliers on a wire.
Her heart hardened, a bold idea suddenly sprouting in her mind. Unable to resist, she leaned closer hesitantly and murmured:
“...Husband?”
With a snap, the room plunged into darkness.
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